Collin College Trains Veterans Through Partnerships

Collin College, Hewlett Packard (HP) and Workforce Opportunity Services (WOS) teamed up recently to give a special opportunity to local student veterans interested in cybersecurity.

Through the partnership, 13 veterans were recruited and mentored during 10 months of cybersecurity training. The student veterans completed networking and cybersecurity training at Collin College while gaining workplace experience at Hewlett Packard. They earned 19 college credits, 168 hours of continuing education, marketable skills awards in Cisco systems computer networking technology, Collin College certificates in Information Security and preparation for Cisco Networking Associate and Network+ certifications.

“Collin College had 1,551 student veterans on campus last year, and we are delighted to connect great companies with the student veterans in our innovative cybersecurity program,” said Cary A. Israel, the college’s district president. “We all have to work together to bring more students into the pipeline for science, technology, engineering and math careers and ensure success in the workforce.”

All 13 of the veterans will continue to work as contract employees at HP through WOS until May 2015. During that time, they have opportunities to be hired full-time by HP. In fact, one veteran has already started a full-time position.

For more information, contact Engineering and Technology Programs Director Dave Galley at dgalley@collin.edu.

About Collin College

Collin College serves nearly 53,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degree and certificate in a wide range of disciplines. The only public college in the county, Collin College is a partner to business, government and industry, providing customized training and work force development. For more information visit collin.edu.